


Tea and Honey

by iamshurlocked



Category: Benedict Cumberbatch - Fandom
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff and feel goods for now, I don't know what I'm doing I'm sorry, Masturbation, POV First Person, Rated M for possible future chapters, first work ever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2014-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-28 16:30:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/994093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamshurlocked/pseuds/iamshurlocked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sophie can't keep things to herself, and while Benedict Cumberbatch is giving a presentation, she opens her mouth. But things start looking up, even after getting rained on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic ever, so advice/constructive criticism is appreciated.
> 
> Mucho thanks to my lovely beta jessbrown1102! 
> 
> Hopefully this will be the first chapter of a series, but I dunno yet... Hope you enjoy!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

He is standing in front of the room, the semi-circle curls around him and everyone is enamored with his words. His voice is thrumming, deep and lyrical. He’s dressed casually and fits right in to the campus student body, even though the band has been told to dress in concert attire. Dark washed jeans, tee shirt, and his curly black Sherlock mop make him look as if he could have just come from the Drama building after class; he could have for all I care.

Benedict Cumberbatch stands before us as part of an “it gets better, be yourself” movement on campus. Don’t let others influence who we want to be, or what we want to do with ourselves. He tells us that we are loved; whether by family in blood, or the family that makes up the people in this room, we are loved just the way we are and we should all strive to be true to ourselves. It should not matter if we are straight, gay, bi, or even asexual, but to love as hard as we can in our own way, and _that_ is the most important thing about being an individual.

I am completely enthralled. As he speaks, he becomes animated and enthusiastic. He is completely passionate about this cause and the longer he goes on, the deeper his voice gets. It gets so low, he’s nearly talking in a whisper, as if he’s talking privately to someone in a crowded room, and as his impossible eyes scan over the group and land on me for a moment, he seems to purr, his words pour from him like amber honey. It is so delicious.  

“Be who you _feel_ you should be not who others _tell_ you what to be.”

At these words in that voice, I am undone. I can’t help but turn to my friend beside me, and say, perhaps a little too loudly, “Oh. My. God. His voice! It is so DAMN AROUSING and I can’t believe he took time to come and stand his impossibly handsome self in front of us!”

By the time I finish my overzealous exclamation, the entire room is staring at me, and I hear a snicker from the brass section. Benedict is looking directly at me with his aquiline eyes.

I balk and stop breathing. I can’t think. _OhmyGodwhat…._

Embarrassment washes over me in a pulverizing wave and I feel my face get hot and I just know I’m as red as a bowl of ripe strawberries.

I’m completely drowning in it. _OhmyGod, I can not stay in this room, what have I done, they’re all staring…_

I stand up and grab my messenger bag to more snickers; a friend in the trumpet section stares at me with an open mouth as I accidently catch his eye; he’s the only person that really understands my obsession, and by the worried look on his face, he knows that I am lost in my head, he knows this is going to be bad.

I turn directly towards Benedict, I mouth a quick “I’m sorry…So, so sorry”, and as I turn to leave the room, he flashes a much-too-cute-for-having-just-been-rudely-interrupted crooked smile.

*******

I’ve hidden myself in the most secluded restroom in the building until I know that class is over and everyone has vacated the building. No way in hell am I going to come face to face with any of my classmates right now, not even Shawn; especially not Shawn; that would end badly. He’s always had a crush on me. Sometimes he forgets my stance on us, and tries too hard to be the comforting guy friend. Not that I mind it most days, I’ve told him how I feel about our relationship, that being friends is all I can manage right now, but he sometimes forgets, gets too adamant, and I have to remind him. He’s my closest friend, my best friend, I tell him most everything.  And in a situation like this, I can be completely sure that he would want to comfort me, but really, I don’t want to be around anyone right now. I just need to be alone. I want to cry, scream, or both, but I can’t. I’m in shock. I keep rewinding that stupid moment. And I didn’t even get to shake his hand or get a picture with him, I left before the Q&A. My face flushes hot. What an idiot. _Stupid, stupid idiot._

I look at my iPhone to check the time, and Benedict is staring back at me with those amazing eyes, and I flush with embarrassment all over again. _Dammit for having him as my background._ Enough time has passed that the halls should be fairly empty, and hopefully I won’t run into anyone on my way home. _Please, please, please let the halls be empty._ I leave the bathroom and make my way out; there are some students in the halls in groups of two or three, no one I know really well, and none from band. _Thank God._ As I move to the building’s exit, I can hear snippets of conversation. Seems that everyone knows that a famous British TV star is here, some have caught glances of him leaving.

When I leave the building, I realize what a craptastic day this has turned out to be. It has gotten colder, and it’s raining. I forgot my jacket in my rush to leave this morning (it wasn’t THIS cold either) and I’m wearing a flutter sleeved, lightweight black top and dress pants. _Damn you concert attire, the guest speaker was casual, there was no reason for this bullshit._

The weather is doing a fine job of reflecting my mood. The rain isn’t heavy, but the drops are large and cold as they fall on my shoulders and head, I’m quickly feeling the wet through my clothing. I have to shield my face from the oversized drops to keep from getting pelted in the eyes.

I’m walking down Ash, back to my apartment building, grumbling and still burning from the hurt of embarrassment, but my brain won’t stop running through the situation over and over. _If only I had kept my mouth shut I would have been able to meet Benedict Cumberbatch, the impossible man. But I just had to go and let the world know I was practically coming in my pants just because of his voice. Fuck. Fuck me. Fuck my life. Fuck all this. Dammit._

I stop at the crosswalk, close my eyes, and shudder. I’m as angry as a cat, and a wet one at that.

I just stand at the intersection for a moment and let the rain pelt me as punishment.

When I open my eyes, now closer to soaked than damp, I have to force myself to get moving back to the apartment. It’s cold, I’m wet, and I could really use a hot tea.

As I prepare to cross the street, a small crowd has gathered on the opposite side of Ash, going in the same direction, I spot him. He’s not carrying an umbrella, and the hood of this white jacket is down, otherwise I may have missed him. The other people in the group don’t even realize who is standing among them. No one gives him a glance. Except me, I am staring.

And then my brain goes to work. Frantically I think that I need to apologize, I left and didn’t give him a proper one, not by a long shot. He was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to come to the States and talk to a group of college kids and then to be interrupted so crassly, well… he deserved more than what I gave him. I should have kept my mouth shut. _Dammit._ This might be my only opportunity. _FuckShit._ It’s now or never. _Holy hell._ But how do I call out? Mister Cumberbatch? Benedict? Ben maybe? Does he even like to be called Ben? _Shitshitshitshit!!_ _He’s crossing, I’m going to lose my chance!!_

Before I can think about it any longer I shout out, “Ben!”

He doesn’t stop, but he’s looking around.

I move onto the corner and shout again, waving “Ben!”

He definitely heard me that time. His head swivels in my direction, his dark curls wet from the rain, and stops in the middle of the crosswalk and sees me waving at him. Not even looking at the street, he crosses the intersection, coming straight at me. A car honks at him, but he just waves and jogs the rest of the way. And he smiles that impossible, handsome, just-a-little-bit-crooked smile. Does he recognize me? It looks like he recognizes me. _Oh, God. I’m pretty sure he recognizes me._ I thought for sure I had rushed out quickly enough he could forget about me. _Then what’s the point in having called out if you didn’t want him to recognize you, hmm? Dammit! Oh no, oh no, he’s getting closer, what do I say, how the hell do I start off a conversation with him, about this, about anything? Fuck! If I don’t say anything…I should have thought this out more, but then I may have missed him, he would be gone…and…and…_

And suddenly he is standing in front of me, still smiling, and purrs, “Well hello again. Sophia, if I’m not mistaken?”

I melt. My mind goes properly blank. I wasn’t prepared for this, I didn’t think all of this through, Benedict Cumberbatch is standing in front of me, in the rain, smiling at me, and he knows my name. _The hell? What? How?_ Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. _Again, stupid._

I’m sure I’m gawking, but I’m at a complete loss. Standing getting pelted with cold hard drops, staring, no words come to me. All I can do is nod. _Holy hell, he knows my name… Wait… he knows my name?!_

“One of your mates told me there was a café down this way you might be headed to. Let’s get out of this damn cold rain, shall we? Does remind me of London though.”

Dumbfounded, I nod again, completely speechless. This man, this handsome, kind, wonderful man is standing in front of me on campus in the rain and asking me about a café. And then he offers his arm to me, smiling. _Damn him and that amazing smile._ I loop my arm through his and we start walking in the direction of the café. His jacket is wet and the droplets gather and run down the waterproof exterior, soaking my arm more than just the rain alone. My building is only a few doors down from the café, I wonder if I would be able to run up and change once we find a table.

I can’t bring myself to say anything as we walk. My brain is trying to process everything, the things I could say, the conversation I think we should be having. Everything sounds goofy. _Crummy weather, isn’t it?_ No. _How has your visit been, minus today?_ Nope. _What do you think of campus?_ He’s been to a college campus before. _How long is your stay?_ Creeper. None of these segues sound any good, nor do they lend any ease to my pending embarrassing apology. How do I start a conversation like this? _“Oh by the way, I didn’t mean to speak so loudly. I was just so excited and your voice is so damned sexy that I nearly creamed myself just listening to you talk. Sorry about that.”_  God that would be even more embarrassing, for him AND me.

My brain is moving a mile a minute and in my thoughts I hadn’t really noticed, but, he’s closer to me than he was before. Really close. He drops my arm from his, and I’m certain that he’s uncomfortable walking arm-in-arm with a stranger, but instead he pulls his jacket open and tucks me into his side, wrapping me up. My arm is wedged between us funny, but _holy fuck keep it to yourself girl._ I look up at him shyly through my lashes.

He looks back down at me, smiling, his curls damp and eyes dark blue, sparkling and radiant.

“This might be strange,” he knocks me out of my revelry, “but would you mind putting your arm around my waist? It will be much more comfortable, and I’ll be able to get more of my coat around you.”

I wiggle around and get my arm around him, my hand at his right hip. He is warm and I’m tucked in so close, I can smell his body wash; it’s woodsy and deep, and making me a little dizzy as I breathe him in.

“There we are, much better. How close are we to the café? You are positively soaked and shivering, you’ll surely catch cold if we stay out in the mess much longer,” his voice is filled with worry. “Does the café offer lemon tea and raw honey? That will help to nip a cold right in the bud. Too bad you don’t have a change of clothes in your bag, wouldn’t that be convenient?”

His concern makes me blush hot, I’m sure I’m red all over, words come tumbling out and I squeeze him in a close hug and bury my face in his side without thinking.

“I’m so so sorry for speaking out of turn during your presentation I should have kept my stupid mouth shut and I always _always_   do shit like this and I feel like a huge idiot for interrupting like I did and I’m sorry I just stood up and walked out but I was _so ashamed_ and everyone was _gawking_ at me and I didn’t know what to do and I _hope hope hope_ I didn’t embarrass you in front of so many strangers I know a group that size can be intimidating wait what am I saying you’re probably used to people _dammit_ I’m sorry…”

He stops and I jolt to a halt with him in the middle of the sidewalk. He slips me around to face him, holding my shoulders, still staying close. His eyes are icy blue and he captures me in them. The rain pelts me again.

“You did nothing wrong, my dear. I won’t lie and say I wasn’t embarrassed, because I was, a little, but that’s mostly because I’m still not comfortable in this position as a person whose name is known by so many. I still really don’t see what everyone else does and I’m still coming to grips with accepting that, but that’s not the point here. You are being you, expressing yourself in your own way, and that’s _exactly_ what I was talking about today. Don’t change, because you are so very lovely.

And you know, afterwards, during the Q and A after you…excused yourself… many of your mates may have pointed out that…they…thought…well, they agreed with you. Most of the questions I got were multipart and some were rather strange. One young lady just asked me to say ‘Aren’t you looking lovely today, my darling.’ That resulted in a swoon from the lot of them. They just kept me talking about the most random things. It was very entertaining, probably the most fun since I’ve been Stateside.”

His smile is so warm and honest; it touches his eyes in the most enchanting way. He kisses me on my forehead before tucking me back into his jacket, pulling my arm back around his waist, and we start walking again.

“Now how far is it to this bloody café? I’m beginning to freeze now!”

I’m startled out of my daze, and look around, blinking. Ahead of us is the sign.

“It’s just right there, the Library.” I point to the sign four buildings down from us. “It’s the name of the café. But, if you don’t mind terribly, my building is that one there, the one with the red bricks and purple awning… I could get changed and grab a jacket and then we can do whatever you like…?”

“I didn’t realize you were so close, that is a wonderful idea. Then we can have a cuppa and a chat, yes? I didn’t even think to ask if you liked tea, I think most Americans prefer coffee I assume the Library offers both…?”

I can’t help but smile at him.

“I much prefer tea to coffee, unless it’s extremely doctored up. As in: mostly milk and sugar. I actually have a collection of tea; I can’t walk by a selection without picking up something new, even if it is just bags. Loose leaf is my favorite though.”

“A collection of tea?” His eyebrow goes up.

“Yeah, it’s gotten a little out of hand the last few years… I’ll have people over, and they’ll open up the cabinets looking for a glass or plate and pull the tea cabinet open, and tea falls everywhere, just like the cartoons with closets full of stuff.”

He chuckles beside me, and I feel the vibrations through my whole body as my face gets pink again. We’ve reached my building, and he pulls the door open for me. I step out from his coat, away from his warmth and his smell, and unwrap my arm from around his waist. I’m suddenly cold again and head to the elevator to mash the UP button. We wait in silence. Benedict is standing behind me, still close; close enough I can feel the warmth from him.

When the elevator arrives and the door opens, I feel Benedict place his hand gently on the small of my back and it stays there as we get on.

“So what are you studying? What kind of degree are you working towards?”

“Well, I’m working towards an International Business degree officially. I still keep music close, so I take band as an extracurricular. I did it all through high school and would miss my best friends too much. My dream is to travel and see the world.”

The elevator dings at the seventh floor. I take a right and head down the hallway, Benedict with me every step of the way; his hand still hasn’t left my back. _God, his hands are freaking big, and so warm._ I dig in my messenger bag to find my keys, and pull them out with a jingle.

“Where would you like to go? Anywhere in particular Sophia?”

I giggle and cover my face with my hands. “No one calls me Sophia anymore. Not unless it’s combined with ‘Nichole’ and I’m in trouble or something.” I grin at him.

“Well my apologies, _Sophie_.” He bows and is positively beaming, eyes are sparkling.

I put the key to the lock, twist, and it clicks. I swing the door open and the chill from the apartment hits my wet shirt and pants. I set my bag down by the door, Benedict follows me in, I feel his hand leave my lower back, and he closes the door behind him. Thankfully I had bothered to pick up the place. Inviting Benedict Cumberbatch to my apartment with things strewn everywhere would have been a nightmare. It hadn’t even registered that I had invited him to my apartment. _Thank you god for laundry day._

“Sorry it’s a little chilly in here, I wasn’t really expecting company today,” I say sheepishly. “You’re welcome to make yourself at home; I’ll just be a second…”

“While you change, would you mind terribly if I have a look at this storied collection? I’m highly intrigued.”

“If you like. The cabinet by the refrigerator, just… open the door slowly so you don’t get hurt by falling tins, okay? I don’t need an unconscious celebrity in my kitchen. That might be…bit not good.” I giggle.

He laughs his bubbly laugh, “I will take care, you go get out of those wet clothes.”

I walk past him standing at the breakfast bar as he smiles at me, down the short hallway to the only bedroom, and close the door behind me. I can hear rustling through the thin door and a clatter, followed by a whispered curse as I pull my soaked top over my head and step out of my pants.

All of a sudden the day’s events wash over me.

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is in my apartment, my kitchen, looking through my cabinets for tea (and has apparently been attacked by said tea), we practically cuddled on the walk from campus to here (after he told me he was going to the café that I frequent on advice of my friends), and he wants to take me to said café after I change! What kind of crazy alternate reality am I living in?? I’m half naked and separated by a practically negligible hallway, and a door as thin as a sheet of paper. _If he was so inclined he could just…_ No, he wouldn’t do that, would he? _If he wanted to, I wouldn’t say no, god I couldn’t say no…_ I can’t imagine that that handsome British gentleman would do such a thing. He was so kind as to wrap me in his coat to keep me warm and dry (at least, keep me from getting me _more wet_ ) and walk me home so I could change. You never know though…

_Oh god, I’m going insane! I need to wake up. I’m probably laying in bed, my feet sticking out from the duvet cold because the heat isn’t on, and I’ll wake up and everything will be back to normal. I’ll probably wake up with just enough time to get dressed and run to Economics._

I toss my soaked shirt and pants in the hamper and pull open drawers to find a dry bra and panties, since I was soaked all the way through.

As I stand in my room, the thought rolls through my head again, but this time, I start to laugh. Uncontrollably. I laugh so hard, I sound like I’m shrieking. I start to lose my breath. I’ll surely wake up now, I never last long in dreams I where I can’t breathe. I’m completely naked, holding on to my red panties and my knees start to buckle. There is a knock on my door.

“Are you alright?”

I stare, I can’t stop laughing, and I can’t catch my breath.

“Hello? Sophie? Are you okay?”

I’m staring wide eyed at the door and he knocks again. I still haven’t caught my breath, and I’m wheezing.

“Sophia Nichole, answer me. Are you alright? I’m going to open this door in three… two…”

The door handle starts to turn, and I lurch to the door, slamming against it. _OHMYGOD this isn’t a dream, he’s out there in my apartment!! On the other side of my door!!!_

“I’m… alright! Don’t come in,” I cough, finally catching my breath, “I’m not dressed!!”

The handle is still and he stops counting down. “Are you sure everything is okay? You don’t sound okay, and were you screaming?”

I franticly pull on my panties, “No, no, I’m sure I’m alright… Ben? Is it okay to call you Ben? I didn’t even ask, I’m sorry.”

“Yes, yes that’s fine.”

“Alright, well, I’ll be out in a minute Ben, I’ve got to find my sweater.” I get my bra on while my butt is still pressed up against the door. _I could have just let him open it._ No. No. I shouldn’t think like that.

I pull on my favorite dark washed jeans and rummage in my closet for my purple sweater and pull it on. Thought it would be a few more weeks before it was cold enough to need it, but, guess not. It’s definitely a sweater day. I manage to find some socks, they don’t match, and pull on my black Chucks, can’t see them anyways. As I get ready to pull the door open, I glance in the mirror over the dresser. My hair is a mess. Wet and matted.

I sneak into the bathroom and run a comb through my hair, blow dry, and pull it back in a loose ponytail at the nape of my neck. On my way out of the bathroom, I grab a clean towel from the cabinet.

When I get back into the kitchen, Ben is at the breakfast bar, with two places set with steaming mugs and a plate of scones between them. _I forgot all about those scones…_ my jaw hangs open.

“Is everything alright now?” He looks at me with concern.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Fine. Just… laughing fit.”

“Well then.” His face instantly melts and is warm and his smile begins to creep to his eyes mischievously. “You have a mighty impressive collection. It did attack me though. I apologize if I’ve mussed up any system you may have had, I just managed to squeeze the tins and pouches back in without it popping out again. I’m usually partial to Earl Grey, but I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try this peach Jasmine. It smelled so delicious in the tin,” he beams at me. My heart flutters, his smile and the sparkle in his eyes are infectious.

I suddenly remember the towel in my hands and stick it out at him like an offering. This man has made tea, _my tea,_ and set two places _at my breakfast bar in my apartment_ , and I can’t help but wonder, are we even going to the Library now?

He looks at the towel and back up to me, “What’s this for?”

“Hair. Wet? Uh…Dry. _Shit.”_ I stutter, and then shake the fuzz out of my addled head.

“Your hair, it’s wet,” I begin to ramble. “Thought you might like to towel it, or if you want, you could use my blow dryer? I didn’t know what you might prefer.”

“I hadn’t even thought of that.” He stands from the barstool as he steps closer and takes the towel from my outstretched hand. Our fingers touch, and I feel like there’s electricity flowing between us for a split second. “Thank you.”

He puts the towel over his head and ruffles it around. From under the white towel, black curls appear with every other shake and then tumble around his forehead and ears. When he’s done, he ropes the towel around his neck and he looks like he’s just stepped out of the shower.  The butterflies in my stomach awaken and tickle.

“There we are, much better.” He is radiant. “Now, come, sit, sip your tea and warm up.” Ben holds out his hand to me and I take it, and my fingers tingle at the warm touch, and my stomach flutters at the gesture. He helps me into the barstool and then climbs into the other beside me as I help myself to my tea. The mug is warm in my hands and sooths the cold, and the tingling, of my fingers.

Out of habit, I stick my nose in my cup, letting the steam from the tea warm my face. I inhale the sweet, grassy fragrance and close my eyes, letting my nervousness and butterflies escape with my exhale.

Beside me I hear a heavy sigh.

I look over, and see the impossibly handsome man sitting beside me, nose in cup, eyes closed, and breathing in deeply. I can’t help it, I giggle, and my warm tea splashes my face.

He opens his eyes and they shift over to me. “What? What is it?”

I beam a smile back at him, and grab a napkin to pat my face dry. “Nothing, it’s nothing!”

“Tell me! What is it? Do I have crumbs?” He moves his fingers over his lips like he’s brushing something away, I track his terribly long fingers, unable to take my eyes off him.

“It’s nothing, I promise.”

“Sophia Nichole.”

My eyes go wide and I pout at him. “That’s the second time you’ve done that! That’s not fair!”

“Yes, well now. Maybe you’ll be more amicable in telling me what your deal is? Also, you probably shouldn’t have told me that. I’ll use it to my advantage; it seems to have worked quite nicely last time.” His smile is mischievous and his blue eyes sparkle and magically become green as I stare at him.

I sigh and roll my eyes, somewhat defeated. “Well if you must know Mister Timothy Carlton,” he flashes his crooked grin at me, “I’m just thinking about the events of the day, and wonder if I’m having a dream or hallucinating. A day in the life of me usually includes going to class, coming home, and then having a cup of tea, maybe watch The Office or something on Netflix. However, this day has been something of a tangent. I’ve gone to class, embarrassed myself in front of, quite possibly, the most handsome of men I’ve ever come across, OH, and who just happens to be a celebrity. After running out of said class into the rain and getting soaked, said celebrity was on the same street as me and proceeded to share his jacket with me as he walked me home. Where now, that same handsome celebrity now sits in my kitchen with a cup of tea, and his nose stuck in it, in the same manner I do! Now, please tell me, if you were anyone other than you, would you think I was sane? I would think not!”

Ben sets his cup down and twists to face his body to mine, and pulls me around to face him straight on. He puts my knees between his, brings my hands together in his, and looks directly into my eyes.

“I can assure you, Sophia, I’m quite real. I’m sitting here in your apartment, enjoying a cup of tea with a lovely young lady with the most captivating blue eyes I have ever seen, and a smile that could possibly fell a god.”

His compliment takes me by surprise, my breath catches, and I tear my eyes away and stare at our knees.

“You know, I had to work hard at keeping my eyes off of you in that classroom. I saw you there, those blue eyes sparkling at me, your gaze following me as I stood and moved around the front of the class. It was extremely difficult not to make eye contact with you, and I’m sure that if I had I would’ve lost my concentration.” He looks down at my hands clasped in his. They completely engulf mine and are so very warm. “When you left, I was ready to bolt after you. I wanted to catch you up and hold you close and tell you it was okay. I’ve never really been so captivated by someone I’ve never met. I stayed after the Q and A to talk to your friends. The one young man, the trumpet player…Shawn?... he was the one that told me about the café, that I could find you there most likely, so we could do just this.”

I’m listening to him talk to me in his low purr, and my face is burning. I look at him through my lashes, wishing I had left my hair down to hide my red cheeks.

“I’m so sorry if I’ve embarrassed you, Sophie. I was just so thrilled when I saw you on the corner, calling for me.” He drops my hands and lays his on his knees.

“No, no. I’m not embarrassed. Not anymore, maybe.” I place my hands on his and give them a squeeze. He responds in turn by flipping his palms to mine. “I’m really glad I opened my mouth that time. I was so heartbroken that I had missed the chance to meet you and talk to you, and that would probably have been my biggest regret.” I trace a lazy doodle on his palm with my finger; he tracks it with his eyes. “Thank you, by the way.”

He looks up at me from his trance. “Hmmm? For what?”

“For sharing your jacket with me; it was very sweet, and gentlemanly, of you. And, if you don’t mind my being honest, it was nice being so close to you. That’s every fangirls’ dream you know.” I can’t help the smile that pulls at the corner of my mouth. I hope I don’t seem smug about it.

“Anyone would have done it, I’m sure. But you’re very welcome. I couldn’t have you freezing to death after just having found you, now, could I?”

“I’m sure that wouldn’t have happened. I would have eventually gotten home, dried off, and warmed up. But really, this is a much more desirable outcome, if I could be so bold to say.” I glance up at him and his eyes catch mine, I can’t get away from them.

“I would say this is definitely a better outcome.” He leans in close to me, and his long fingers clasp around mine. “May I tell you a secret?” I nod. “Come here, closer.” My cheeks are warm, I lean in as close as I can get without falling off my chair, he closes the distance between us and his right hand releases mine, and comes up to my neck, sliding gently over my skin until his thumb is resting right at my earlobe.  My skin ignites at his warm touch. He brings his face close to mine, and I can feel his breath on my ear and I unconsciously close my eyes.

His voice is like honey dripping off cello strings, “If we are being so bold to say, then I will be bold: I want to kiss you.” He is practically purring; the rumble of his voice sends shivers down my body. “I have wanted to kiss you since the moment I had you to myself.” Ben pulls back and looks into my eyes and without saying anything, I know he’s asking for permission.

My head is positively swimming. Thoughts are ricocheting and bouncing off each other and nothing is making sense. I see Benedict Cumberbatch sitting across from me, and sparkly stars, like I’ve just taken a blow to the head. His eyes are intense, my body responds, and I nod.

He pauses for a split second, his eyes get wide and he comes close again, stopping with his lips just a whisper away from mine. When he finally closes the gap, his lips are soft and warm against mine and the electricity is very nearly overwhelming, I feel short of breath and lean into him. Ben is gentle, but I want more. He’s initiated and he’s given me more confidence. I let his fingers go and bring mine up to his curly locks; his hair is soft, and still slightly damp. I feel his lips part as my fingers move up the back of his neck and he pulls me closer, his tongue graces my bottom lip, exploring but not demanding.

His tongue tickles, and my fingers curl in his hair instinctively. He pulls away from me with a moan deep in his chest, my eyes shoot open and he is very nearly glaring at me.

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay? I didn’t mean to pull…. It just….”

“No, no, you’re fine, love,” he closes his eyes and pulls my hands from behind his neck, “I have sensitive follicles, and I wasn’t expecting that.” His eyes open and he’s looking at me almost hungrily. “Your nose is still extremely cold, you should probably drink your tea. May we retire to the couch?”

I nod and turn to grab my mug, it’s not steaming anymore, hopefully it hasn’t gone bitter. Ben helps me from the stool and I grab my mug, and he grabs his, and I take up my regular spot on the couch at the end and pull my knees up to my chest out of habit. Ben sits next to me and pulls the blanket from behind him and tucks it around me, smiling now.

I take a sip of my tea, and stare into the mug, not knowing what to say or do. What do you say after your celebrity crush says he wants to kiss you, and does? The look he gave me after I accidently tugged his hair was… interesting? No one has ever looked at me that way. I close my eyes and take another sip of my tea, seeing his face again in my mind, and my belly tingles.

“So what now…?” Another sip.

“Well, I thought I would take you for dinner. As long as you haven’t caught a cold.” Ben leans close and takes a long finger and places it on the tip of my nose. My eyes go cross looking at it; it’s warm and makes my nose tingle.

“I don’t think I have.” I smile at him, and he smiles his crooked smile back at me. I tap nervously on my mug, head swimming from the kiss. “Can I ask you something, and give me an honest answer?”

Ben’s eyes shift to a deep grey as he turns his head to me, “Of course I’ll give you an honest answer. You can ask me anything, love.”

“What would you like to happen here? My head is swimming and while I know what I would like, I can’t even begin to think what you’re wanting or needing from me. This is all so very fast, and unusual, you know? It’s not every day a person you’ve only read about suddenly is in your apartment, having tea and kissing you…”

“Well, I’m not completely sure, but I would like to stick around and find out, if you’ll let me.” He puts his hand on my knee and looks me in the eye. “When I saw you in that classroom, looking at me with those big blue eyes, I felt something stir that I haven’t had in a while. It was so very warm and intriguing deep in my chest, I couldn’t ignore it, and I couldn’t ignore you.” He shifts a little closer to me, takes my mug and sets it on the coffee table. “I want to take you for dinner, just something casual, a first date. We can go slowly, if that makes you more comfortable. The kiss… I’m sorry if it snuck up on you…” His eyes sparkle and that _look_ flashes across his face, “I’ll be in the States for a few weeks more and we can get to know each other better and spend more time together and figure this out.”

I nod and put my hand on his, “Honestly, I feel fine about this, on my side at least. I’ve been a part of the Cumber Collective for a while now, so I feel like I know you…at least a little bit. I know press releases and magazine articles don’t tell the whole story of who you are, but… ugh.” I squeeze his fingers in mine. “It’s strange falling in love with someone you’ve never met, and then suddenly they’re here.”

Benedict takes my hands in his and leans into me and places a kiss on my forehead.  “I’ve only just met you, and I feel like I’m at the edge and falling. I want to know you, to be close to you, to fall into you.”

I can’t take it any longer. He says he wants to know me, and I want to know him better too. Benedict Cumberbatch wants _me._ And I want him. I want him terribly. I rock forward onto my knees and my lips meet his. I feel his hands go to my waist as if he’s trying to keep me from falling over. I push my fingers into his curly hair and I feel his grip tighten. I pull away just as he tugs my hips closer to him and I can’t help but tuck my nose into his hair, put my lips to his ear and whisper, “I want to fall into you, as long as you’ll catch me.”

I let my full weight fall towards him, his arms slip around me, and he embraces me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Rae, I can’t even begin to describe the weekend.”

_“Well you’re going to have to try, and if you leave out any details, I swear…”_ Rae’s voice is eager, and I can just imagine the look on her face on the other end of the line.

“I’ll do my best, but really, I don’t know if I can do him justice.”

_“Just start from Friday night. And don’t leave anything out!!!”_

“GAH!” I giggle at her, she’s impatient. “Well, nothing much happened after that. We talked, and cuddled. Ended up not going anywhere for dinner, so we ordered Chinese. He knows how to use chopsticks surprisingly well. He asked me about what I wanted to do with myself, about school, about my friends. We talked a lot about me actually, said he needed to catch up.” I giggled again and took a sip of my tea. “Rae, he listened to every word that came out of my mouth, and his eyes never left me. When I got so sleepy I couldn’t keep my eyes open, he tucked me into bed. I felt like a kid again, but it was so sweet. I woke up the next morning with a note on the nightstand with his mobile number and to text him when I got the opportunity, so I messaged him as soon as I got out of the shower. It took forever for him to text back and for a while I was sure he wanted nothing to do with me. But apparently his agent was dragging him around the city for interviews all morning. When he finally had the chance, he told me he had plans for the afternoon and to wear trainers.” I can’t help but snort. “I thought he was going to make me run! Turns out we were just going to the museum. The modern art exhibit is in town and he had bought us tickets, the trainers were for walking the museum.”

_“Oooooh I’ve wanted to go see it! How was it??”_

“It was a blast, though probably not in the way you would have enjoyed it… you know my mind. We were stifling giggles all afternoon. Turns out he’s got a dirty sense of humor just like I do.”

_“Ohmygosh, I can’t believe you giggled at a museum. You’re too odd. So what happened after that?”_

“We went to dinner, Italian. Had some wine, maybe a little too much. I kept telling him my shoes were too small, that they were shrinking, and I wanted to take them off, so he drove me home, and we just sat on the couch talking and laughing.”

_“Aaaaaannnnddd?”_ Her voice tells me she sure there is more.

“Nosey busy body, aren’t you?!”

_“Come on Soph, I’m your bestie for life, you need to tell me these things! I need to know what’s going on with you. So what happened???”_

“Well, I had another glass of wine when we got back to my apartment; that was a terrible idea. I was able to finish the glass, but I kept rambling about my shoes getting smaller, so he sat me down on the couch and took my Chucks off for me. I think he may have mentioned my mismatched socks? When he took them off, I must have tipped back too quickly and it made me super dizzy, and the wine, and half of dinner, didn’t want to stay down. So I ended up in the bathroom sick and Ben was holding my hair back for me. It was SO embarrassing! I was crying and throwing up and apologizing and he was just laughing and rubbing my back and told me everything was going to be okay.

After my stomach was empty and I stopped blubbering, he helped me into bed…”

_“Wait, WHAT?! INTO BED?! Did you…?”_

“No you little perv! But… he did help me undress; I woke up in my night shirt and panties.”

There was a gasp and a cackle on the other end.

“He was a TOTAL GENTLEMAN THOUGH. He didn’t try anything! Although, in my state of mind, he could have, and would have gotten away with it; he told me today that I was making some pretty heavy passes at him…”

_“So what happened then? He just stripped you down and tucked you in?”_

“Yeah, he helped me into a tee shirt and I climbed into bed. Apparently I asked him not to leave, so he stayed, and I woke up to breakfast in bed.”

_“He fucking cooked for you? After staying the night? And NOTHING else happened? What the actual fuck.”_

“He fell asleep in his jeans and he was on top of the duvet. I woke up at one point and found him curled up, and I grabbed a quilt and covered him, and fell back sleep until I smelled the bacon. It was glorious. My head was none too happy, but the eggs Benedict and bacon seemed to help quite a bit. He kept chuckling because he made Benedict. His laugh is completely infectious.”

My mind drifts off to the morning, sitting in bed rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, and Benedict poking his head into the bedroom with a smile and a “good morning, sleepyhead”, his dark curls still tousled from sleeping on it. He had obviously not run a comb through it or anything.  

_“Soph, you’re not done yet. What happened today?”_

I shake my head, dissipating the image. “He and I stayed in the morning with breakfast and tea. Had a discussion about Sherlock and I asked all kinds of questions about the show, but he wouldn’t give anything up. Says he can’t wait for me to meet Martin and Amanda. I was a little surprised at that.”

_“He wants you to meet his co-star? You know what that means, right?? He wants you to go to London with him eventually! You’ve only known each other for three days. Shit I am so jealous of you right now…”_

“I still can’t believe all of this Rae. I don’t know what to do. The semester ends in two weeks, but then he has to go back a few days after that… and I don’t know what will happen; I’m scared to bring it up.”

_“Well, first thing, you need to discuss it with him. Your first off-day, promise me you’ll bring it up and make it a priority conversation. Second, you need to talk to your advisor and see what you need to take for next semester. You know, if he wants it to work, you might be able to transfer your credits to a university in London, and finish out your degree there...But that would also mean finding a place to live, and a job to support yourself.”_

“I hadn’t thought about that… They’re bound to have International Business offerings in London, or something extremely close to what I’m doing now. Ugh, this is all a lot to process… but first things first, I guess, are to see what he’s thinking/feeling/wondering.”

I look at the clock on the wall in the kitchen, it’s nearly midnight. _Crap it’s going to be slow going tomorrow. Stupid Econ, why do you have to be my early class?_ I get up from the couch and start turning off lights and head to the bedroom.

“Rae, I’m going to have to let you go. It’s nearly freaking midnight and Econ is going to be a bitch as it is; being half asleep isn’t going to make it any better.”

_“Alright, sweetie. Just remember, priority number one! When will you get to see him again?”_

“Probably not until Wednesday. No class for me and I think he said he’s got a few things to do in the morning, but after his publicist lets him free, he wants to get together. So I’ve got some time to make lists and have questions ready. I’m going to make an appointment with my advisor on Tuesday and see what my options are in the event London is an option…”

_“Good girl. You go to bed now and I’ll talk to you soon okay? Keep me in the loop, Soph.”_

“Night night, Rae, sleep well.”

Before turning off the light and nodding off, I text Ben: _Goodnight, sleep well. See you Wednesday? xo_

He is apparently still awake because I get a reply almost instantly: _Sweet dreams, see you Wed –BC_

 

**************************

 

After waking, shouting mild abuse at my alarm, and grabbing a shower, I call my advisor on my walk to class and schedule an appointment so I don’t forget. The morning goes by slowly for having stayed up too late talking to Rae, but it was necessary. I just do my best trying not to fall asleep and pay attention to what will be on finals. Econ is the hardest to get through by far, and things go much better after lunch and a tea.

After getting something to eat and staking out a place in the student union, I pull out my International Law book to make my note card in prep for the final during the hour and a half until my marketing course. I pull out my iPhone and queue up some music on Pandora to drown out the sound of the noisy union.  Just as I’m putting pencil to paper, my phone buzzes, startling me. The caller ID says it’s Ben and I smile at my phone and answer.

“Hi there!”

_“Hello, love. How are you today?”_

“Just sitting down to make my note card for one of my finals. My International Law professor is pretty awesome, which is good, because that class can be a bitch. How are you?”

_“Bored out of my skull! I’m getting ready to have my suit tailored for a photo shoot on Thursday, and then I have taping of an interview later this afternoon, and then I have a radio appearance too. Are you in class all day today?”_

“Until about three, possibly earlier. Since its Dead Week, a few of my professors are letting classes out early for us to study for next week’s exams. I’m sorry your bored, anything I can do to help?”

_“Just you answering your phone has helped immensely. I do hope I’m not bothering you though, I know you need to take care of your studies.”_

“Oh, you’re not bothering me! I’ve got an hour and half before Marketing and making this note card won’t take me long; I’ve got all my points highlighted, I just need to copy down what I want.”

_“Do you have any plans for the weekend?”_

“Not that I’m aware of at this point. I wasn’t thinking much past Wednesday, really.” I smile at him even though he can’t see me. I know he’ll hear it in my voice, though.

_“Well, I was going to ask you Wednesday, but I can’t wait, and if you say yes, then Wednesday will be the day we can prepare, if you say yes that is…”_ Ben sounds nervous on the other end, I don’t know why. I have no idea what’s going on, but I don’t think there would be much reason for me to refuse.

“Ben, if it involves getting to spend time with you, of course I’ll say yes. If you haven’t realized it yet, I’m kind of smitten…”

His chuckle on the other end of the line warms my heart even more than the tea did, and I smile thinking of what he must look like on the other end of the line. I can see his grin, his eyes sparkling, and his curls bouncing around his face.

_“This is going to be easier than I thought!”_ Another chuckle. _“So there’s this charity gala on Saturday; it’s for a children’s fund that I’m very fond of. My publicist got me tickets at the last moment, and she told me to bring a date. My very first thought was taking you with me. It’s a masquerade, so we’ll have to do ballroom costume. This is my first time doing a masquerade, so I’ll need help in the costume ideas department, but I thought it would be fun with you by my side.”_

My heart begins to race. A masquerade? Ballroom? _Holy crap that’s so exciting!! Holy shit, I can’t dance. And if this is a gala event, then the likelihood of there being photographers is high, and that means that he’s okay being seen with me in public… very public, public._

“Benedict that sounds amazing! But I’ve never been to anything like that; I hope you don’t expect me to dance. I’m terrible at it. But costumes sound fun! I’ll start thinking about what we could do… we don’t have much time though, do we?”

_“Don’t worry about the dancing or the time, Linda has connections in the garment industry here and is already in contact with someone that will be able to help us out, but we do need an idea by Wednesday afternoon. We’ll go see them then to get measurements, and then I’ll take you out for dinner and a movie afterwards, does that sound alright?”_

“I’ll think of something by then I’m sure.” I’m beaming. I’m so excited I really want to squeal, but I keep quiet since I would very likely get funny looks in the crowded union.

_“Wonderful! I’m so excited! I’m sorry I can’t come see you tonight love, but I’ll text you if that’s alright. Crap, the tailor is here so I’m going to have to let you go for now. Thank you for curing me of my boredom until then. Hopefully I didn’t ruin you on your study work.”_

“Alright then, you have fun getting poked! Text me whenever. If I’m in class I’ll be sure to put my phone on vibrate, but I’ll answer back as soon as I have the chance to. Talk to you later, Benedict.”

_“Talk to you later, Sophia.”_ And the line clicks as he disconnects. I turn my music back on and smile as I get to work on my note card.

***************************

 

Thirty minutes into my marketing course, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and there’s a text from Ben with an attached picture.

_What do you think? I don’t know if I’m liking the silver or not. –BC._ The picture is an awkward selfie of him in a silver suit. There are pins at the neckline and the sleeves, and it looks like it’s inside out. I suppress a giggle a sneak a text back to him: _I think the silver is very becoming, though you’ll want to remember to turn it right side out when you do your interview. – SH_

I go back to taking notes and my phone is still for a while. Just as I feel myself nodding off to the professor’s drone, my phone buzzes in my pocket, jolting me back to reality and startling the girl next to me.

_Ha ha very funny, love.-BC._ There is another photo attached. His chest is bare, dark mop of curls all out of sort, and a sly look on his face. I can barely see the silver pants low at his waist. I balk at the photo in my hand, and the girl next to me sighs heavily and when I glance at her, she’s openly staring at my phone. She catches me looking at her, quickly coughs and turns her head back to the professor.

_OMG I’m in class. The girl next to me was staring and had googly eyes! – SH_

He is quick to reply.

_Keep your phone hidden then, or wait to pull it out until after class is finished. Shouldn’t you be paying attention to your professor this close to finals? –BC_

_I can’t exactly concentrate when a handsome man is texting me half naked pictures of himself. –SH_

My phone goes still again and the professor is telling us what time the exam is, so I start packing up my bag, hoping that he’ll be releasing us soon. After sneaking everything back into my bag my phone buzzes again, and the girl next to me glances at it. She’s not even hiding her curiosity; she wiggles her eyebrows at me and I smile at her, as I unlock it and tap the text. No message, just a photo. I can no longer see the waist of his pants, because they’re not there. He’s taken the photo juuuuuust right, so that his happy trail is visible and stops right at the bottom edge of his V-line. My eyes are wide, and I just stare, and the world around me goes blank. _Holy. Shit._

“I’m so sorry to be nosey,” the girl beside me whispers, “But is that your boyfriend?”

She scares the daylights out of me, knocking me out of my daze. “What? Oh! Oh god,” I scramble to hit the lock button.

“Awww, you put him away. He’s handsome and really well built. You’ve got a keeper there, unless you’re not dating. If that’s the case, can I have his number??” She smiles broadly at me and I feel my face get hot.

“Uh… yeah, I guess we’re dating.” My mind races: _Is he my boyfriend? Is it fair to call him that? Would he tell people I’m his girlfriend?_

“Girl, if you guess you are, then you’d better keep that one close. Are you going to send a naughty pic back to him? I think he would enjoy it, and you’ve got a great body. I’m Alice, by the way, but everyone calls me Chess.” She winks at me. _The fuck is happening? I’ve sat next to this chick all semester and not a single word. This is so weird._

“Sophie.” I smile back at her timidly, my face still burning.

At this point the professor has released the class and we’re standing up and heading towards the door, she hands me a card. It has a picture of the Cheshire cat on the front and says “Alice’s Wonderland: Fantasy Boudoir Photography”. My cheeks flush again and I look back up at her.

“Sophie, if you wanna send him some of the good stuff, email me; you’d make a super cute pin-up Alice. I’ll do your first set for free since I got to sneak a peek at your beau. Good looking beau, too. Maybe you’ll let me sneak another peek? ” She winks at me again and flashes that super smile; I guess that Chess is short for Cheshire. All I can do is blink and nod. She leaves the classroom and I just stare after her.  _Boudoir photography? Really? What is up with my life lately?_

I head out of the classroom and tuck her business card into my pocket, and head to the music building.

As I walk down campus to the music hall, I pull out my phone and stare at the photo Ben sent me before poking a quick text back to him. _I’m out of class. You’re lucky that was my last course of the day, you could have gotten me into trouble!  -SH_

Shawn is usually around this time of the day, and I really need to talk to him. I haven’t seen him since Friday and the “incident”, and I really want to talk to someone, and I know Rae is in class at this time of day. I head to the brass room and find him taking apart his trumpet. I sneak up behind him and poke him between the shoulder blades.

“Hey, Shawn, what’s up?”

He turns towards me, and nearly drops his mouthpiece.  “Oh, hey Sophie! What are you doing here? There’s no meeting this afternoon…”

“I know, but I thought I would find you here. I wanted to talk, and since….you know, Friday, I didn’t get to hang out with you afterwards.”

“Oh, yeah. That was… awkward, Soph.” His face is red and he doesn’t look me in the eye. I put my bag on the floor and sit next to him. “I knew you really liked him as an actor, but geeze, that was difficult to watch.  My heart broke for you; I know you wanted to meet him.”

“Well, things ended up turning out okay that afternoon. I got soaked to the bone on my way back to my apartment, but Ben caught up to me. Spotted him on the other side of the street. Apparently he was looking for me; said someone told him where to find me?” I glance over at Shawn and he’s fiddling with the mouthpiece of his horn.

“I may have said something to him after the Q&A.” He looks shyly over at me and I smile, trying to be reassuring. “I saw the way he was looking at you while he was up there. I didn’t want to, but I did. I had to tell him.”

“What do you mean?” His tone surprises me.

“While he was up there, I saw the way you were watching him. And I know how much you like him. When you left, the look on your face was…heartbreaking. He was watching you, too. Every time you looked away, he’d sneak a glance. I could tell he was trying to avoid eye contact; I don’t blame him. When you get caught in those blues, you sorta lose your footing.”

“Oh….” I don’t know what to say. I’ve always known Shawn’s feelings for me, and I’ve always been honest with him about how I feel for him; he’s never held it against me, and for that I have always been infinitely grateful. But the way he’s talking now; there’s something there that I haven’t heard in his voice before. He turns to me, but still avoids eye contact.

“Sophie, I think he’s falling, or already has fallen, for you. Again, I don’t blame him, it’s hard not to. But you need to know something: In all the years we’ve known each other, and all the times I’ve told you how I feel, you never once lied to me or led me on. And I appreciate that. If you ask me today, right now how I feel, it will be the same as it’s always been. I value our friendship and I will go to the ends of the Earth for you; through hell and back again. You know that, right?”

I nod, still speechless. Shawn has never sounded so…passionate.

“Well, just remember that I’m always here for you. In the few minutes I got to talk to him alone before I told him where you might be, I could see it in his eyes. He’s passionate. I have a feeling he’ll look after you, and take care of you, if that’s what you want. If he hurts you, breaks your heart, leaves you alone, anything; it might be the last time I can pick you up and put you back together. I hope that that will never be the case, but, I just don’t think my heart could take such a beating, seeing you hurt.”

“I’m not letting that happen again, Shawn. I learned a lot from the last one, and I’m still grateful every day for you. I’ve been happy the last few days, like I haven’t been since before _that one_.” I wince at the thought of the relationship I wish had never happened. Three years of my life that I’ll never get back, and unfortunately, never forget. “You’ll never realize how much I owe you for pulling me out of that place. I think he will be good for me. But I don’t even know if we’ll go that far. He does live in London, and travels all over the world for shooting and interviews and all that. It might just be a short-term connection, and I’m not letting myself sink in too deeply. I plan on having a conversation with him this week; communicating, that’s one of many things I’ve learned since then. So I’m going to communicate with him, and hopefully, he with me, about what all this is.”

“That’s good to hear, Soph. You’ll let me know how everything goes, right?”

“Of course I will. I always do, don’t I? Well, I do now. I learned that too.”

He chuckles. The one time I didn’t tell him, he found out through the gossip trail, and that didn’t end well for _that one_. A bloody, broken nose for him and a long few months of tears for me, but I learned.

“So what plans do you have for the weekend? Are you going to see him?”

I smile, glad to be on a happier note. “Yeah, he’s taking me to a charity gala. A masquerade too. We’ve got to do costumes and everything. I don’t really know what to expect, but he wants me to come up with an idea, and we’re going to get measured for the costumes on Wednesday. I don’t know what to do though.”

“What about Cinderella and Prince Charming? That’s your favorite Disney movie, isn’t it?”

“I hadn’t even thought about that. That might be too regal though, imagine the size of a Cinderella gown!”

“I remember your sophomore prom dress, it was like Cinderella’s, and it was pretty big.”

“It was so hard moving through everyone, but I guess I didn’t do much moving anyways, mostly sitting. But maybe…” I remembered the card in my pocket, the grinning Cheshire cat, and what Chess told me. “What about Alice and the Mad Hatter?”

“What would that translate to in ballroom terms though? I know nothing about that fancy stuff…”

I giggle. “I don’t know much, it should be pretty easy to translate, but Ben says that Linda knows someone in the fashion district here that will be doing our costumes, so maybe I can just pitch the idea and then they can go with it? But that might be fun, and it wouldn’t have to be a huge gown, it’s only tea-length in the movie.”

Shawn is just looking at me quizzically now, he has no idea what I’m talking about, and I laugh.

“I’m sorry I’m rambling! I’ll think this one over on my own, I guess, or bounce it off Rae.” I smile at him. “Thank you, Shawn. I need to head home and make some more notes, but I’ll see you later this week, okay?”

“No problem. I need to finish getting my horn clean and head to the library anyways. Let me know how the whole communication thing goes.”

I give him a hug and grab my bag, “I will, I promise.” He flashes a quick smile at me before I turn and head back to my apartment.

Halfway back my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and there’s a text waiting for me. It’s another selfie of Ben, curly mop and a big grin. I smile at my phone. _What are you doing now? I thought you were supposed to be doing fancy celebrity stuff all day? – SH_

I stuff my phone back in my pocket and, craving a latte and a muffin, I stop into the Library before I head up to my place.  As I walk in the doors to my building, the doorman waves me over.

“Hey John, what’s up?”

“Looks like someone is after you, young lady. You’ve got a delivery.” He pulls out a vase of sunflowers from behind his counter, and my jaw drops. There are five huge sunflowers in the vase, all open and cheery, like they’re smiling at me.

“Who are they from?? When were they delivered?”

“They were dropped off just fifteen minutes ago. I didn’t open the card, but I can if you want me to. I’m curious to know who’s after you. I thought Shawn had given up ages ago. Is it that boy from Friday perhaps? He was a looker.” John smiles his warm smile and winks at me. He’s been like an uncle since I arrived here, and has always taken an interest in me. “Do you know the language of the flowers, Sophie? These ones are lovely, and saying something very interesting.”

“’That boy has a name you know.” I smile at him and grab the card, “What do the flowers say?”

“They’re telling me that whoever sent these, is infatuated. Someone obviously sees you as their sun, shining bright in the sky.”

I can feel my cheeks heat and flush at his words. I have a feeling I know who has sent them. Opening up the card there is a handwritten note, not his handwriting, he must have had them delivered being too busy to bring them himself.

-To my lovely sunshine, Sophia. You brighten up my days.-

“You were right John; apparently I’m ‘sunshine’.” I smile at him and he beams at me.

“It suits you, you know. You’re lovely and have been very cheerful for a Monday.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean??? I’m always cheerful as cheese on a cracker!” I snicker at him and grab my vase of sunflowers and head to the elevator. “Thank you John, you have a good afternoon, okay?” He beams back at me and nods.

I get to my apartment, unlock the door, and put my vase on the kitchen counter. After setting down my bag and coffee, I pull out my phone and take a photo and text it to Rae: _Look what was waiting for me after class!_

I turn and take another photo: a selfie with the sunflowers over my shoulder and a huge grin on my face. _My doorman gave me some lovely flowers. He’s so sweet!_ I hit send and go to change in to some comfy clothes before getting ready to study.

I make my nest on the couch after getting a cup of tea and spread my books and papers and notes all around on the coffee table and get to work on my notecards. Two cups of tea and three notecards later, my phone rings. I answer it without looking at the screen.

“Hello?”

“ _So who is this doorman giving you flowers, eh?”_

I smile, hearing Benedict’s voice on the other end. “Oh, yeah, John the doorman. He’s very sweet, always has been. He told me that he speaks the flower language.”

_“Oh does he now? Is this someone I have to look out for? I don’t want to get into a row and be deported you know. My visa can be easily revoked…”_

“No, no. He’s just the doorman. What are you up to now? You’ve been silent for a good part of the afternoon. Are you finally free from your celebrity duties?”

_“Yes, I sure am. Called the first moment I was out of Linda’s grasp. What are you doing? Anything I’m interrupting?”_

“Just finished up three notecards and two cups of tea, and thinking about some dinner. Other than that, there’s nothing to interrupt.”

_”So you haven’t eaten yet? It’s six in the evening!”_

“Hey! I’ve been studying. No time for food yet. I do have exams coming up you know. But I really was planning on getting food. I have some mac and cheese in the cupboard, I’ll probably have that.”

_“Mac and cheese? That doesn’t sound very appetizing.”_

“Yeah, but it’s what I’ve got on hand.” There’s a knock on my door. _What the hell?_ I’m not expecting anyone, and I don’t want any magazines, so I try to ignore it. “If I put a can of tuna in it, it’s a full meal, you know.”

_“Uhhhh eww. That makes it sound even less appetizing than before.”_ He chuckles. The knock comes again, hurried and inpatient-sounding.

“Hey, can I put you down for a sec? I’ve got someone knocking on my door.”

_“I’ll be waiting.”_

I unwrap myself from my nest of blankets, books, and papers and set my phone down on the couch. The knock comes again. “Yeah, yeah hold on, I’m coming!” And again, just as I’m getting my fingers wrapped around the doorknob.

“Holy shit, dude; calm your jets.” I open the door, and there is a tall, handsome curly-haired man standing in the hallway holding up a bag of takeaway, Italian by the looks of it. Ben grins at me from the other side of the threshold and holds the bag out like an offering.

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” Suddenly he looks crestfallen, like a puppy that has just been scolded.

“Well, I thought a bite to eat was in order. I haven’t eaten either; been running around all afternoon and thought this would be a nice surprise, yeah?” He just stands there, holding out the bag to me and I just stare. “Bit not good?”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be gentle! This is my first time writing anything that even closely resembles sexy stuff. But constructive critisim is welcome! And hopefully it will be better the next go around. *crosses fingers*
> 
> Many thanks to my lovely beta, Jess. You can find her works under jessbrown1102!
> 
> Also, if you'd like to keep up with my stupid self, find me on Tumblr as iamshurlocked!
> 
> Thank you for waiting it out with me, and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3

“What. The. Actual?” I ignore the bag and step out to wrap my arms around his middle, burying my face in his open jacket. “I didn’t expect to see you until Wednesday! This is wonderful, Benedict.” While I’m against him, I feel him relax and he wraps his free arm around me and he rests his head on top of mine.

“So it’s okay that I stopped by then? I thought I had done something wrong, you had me worried. I’m sorry I snuck up on you like this.”

I pull away from him, take the bag and his hand, leading him inside. “No, no this is great! I just wasn’t expecting you. Like, at all.” I beam back at him and start pulling down plates from the cabinet and a couple of glasses. “So what have you been up to today?”

“Been dragged all over town, that’s what. And I’m ready for a good sit and some even better company.” He smiles at me with that crooked smile, all teeth and joy.

“Well, I hope I’ll be good company, and you’re welcome to sit here any time.” I grin back at him with equal joy and grab two forks and sit at the bar beside him. He pulls open the bag of Italian and starts dishing up the spaghetti.

“I hope you don’t mind mussels, I’ve been craving them for days.” He picks a few out and sets them on his plate and offers me the box.

“I love mussels! I love food. There’s not much I won’t eat, Ben. Can’t you tell?” I poke at my tummy and grab myself a few mussels as well.

“I can’t tell a thing! I just see a lovely young lady that’s keeping me company during dinner.” He grins at me and pokes my stomach where I did, and I laugh.

We go silent for a while as we both have at our pasta and shellfish in front of us. Ben showing up here tonight was so unexpected, but I couldn’t be happier. As I pick out the fleshy bits from my mussels, my promises to Rae and Shawn cross my mind. This is going to be hard. But it needs to be done sooner, rather than later.

“So, since you’re here tonight…I have…something we need to talk about.” I can’t help but be quiet, maybe he won’t hear me and we can just go on having a lovely quiet night together.

“Hmmm? What’s wrong, love?”

Shoot, he did hear me. Well, I guess it’s got to be now. “I don’t want to sound like I’m not happy, because right now, I am so, so happy, I can’t even describe. But…,” I pause, looking for words, “what happens when you go back to London?”

“You’ve been thinking about that too, then, I guess?” He looks over at me and picks out another mussel and eats it before continuing, turning back to his plate. “Well, when I told you I want you to meet Martin and Amanda, I meant it. I may have let that slip not knowing what the implications of it would mean. This is all happening very quickly, and I hope it didn’t scare you.”

“No, no! Not at all. Yeah, it is happening really fast. I just didn’t know what would happen once you had to go back to London.”

“Well, I don’t know how you feel about long distance things…it would be hard but I would be in the US every few months I’m sure, and I could make time to come visit. I know you have university to finish and I couldn’t ask you to pick up and leave, but I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about studying abroad…I shouldn’t ask that of you…”

“I’ve been thinking about it.” He puts down his fork and is looking at me again, his eyes crystal blue and very intense. “I’ve got an appointment with my advisor to get her input. There are plenty of universities in London that offer International Business programs, and I might be able to get in for next semester. It’s something I’ve been tossing around, mostly because my program requires study abroad anyways. It wouldn’t be so big a deal to just transfer, I think. I’ve also been thinking of changing my major…music has always been a big part of me, art too, a little bit. I’m not very good though. Sometimes I think teaching would be fun too. I was always very good at English and I love reading…I mean, if you didn’t think it would be weird me moving to London on a whim or whatever…” I can feel my cheeks flush. I can’t help but think I sound like a lovesick puppy that would follow its master everywhere. I would love to go to London, even if it was by myself; I would love to go anywhere, really. And I’ve considered the possibilities of leaving the United States; it’s just been on my mind more lately because of him.

“If I end up being able to transfer, I’ll get a job and my own apartment so you don’t have to worry about me barging in on you or anything. I might see about student housing the first semester I’m there if everything works out; a least until I can get a job and save money for an apartment…”

Benedict’s eyes are burning into me as I talk. He’s set down his fork and before I can ramble on any more about the possibility of going to London, he takes my fork from me and sets it on my plate, stands and lifts me into his arms and kisses me. I can taste a hint of the white wine on his lips as they crush into mine. He is so passionate, almost feverish; I reach my hands up to his face and he’s clean shaven and smooth. I brush my thumbs over those deliciously sharp cheekbones. My fingers slide over him and wrap around the base of his neck, and slip into the curls that hang there.

He tenses up against me, his arms pulling me closer, his fingers pressing into the small of my back a little bit deeper. I smile against his lips and give the curls a gentle tug. I feel, more than hear, the moan deep in his throat. Pressed up against him, his body vibrates against mine, my chest pressed in so close to his. Gently, I move my fingers up the base of his neck towards the crown, and my fingers curl again. This time his lips pull away from mine, eyes closed he moans deeply and loudly, the vibrations from his chest make me tingle, and I can feel my blood start to rush everywhere.

Ben lets his head fall back. “You really shouldn’t do that.”

I attempt to play coy and bat my eyelashes at him. “Hmmm? Do what? Why?”

He picks me up straight off the floor, arms wrapped around me and carries me into the living room; he drops on the sofa, effectively placing me in his lap straddling him. He brings his hands to my hips, and presses me down on to him. I can feel his growing erection underneath me. “That’s why, darling.”

My cheeks start to burn and my heart begins to race, and I regret not leaving my bra on; I can see my nipples beginning to get hard under my thin t-shirt. Ben pulls me down to him and places a kiss on my forehead and I lay my head on his shoulder.

We just sit like this for minutes; I listen to him breathe, to his heartbeat, and I can feel him running his fingers through the ends of my hair. My mind is racing; I don’t know what to do. I haven’t been in a relationship since _that one_ and I don’t feel like I know what I’m really doing. Maybe if I stay still and close my eyes, we can just avoid something awkward…

“I’m sorry darling, I shouldn’t have done that. It just the thing with the hair drives me crazy, and the woman doing it makes me crazy too. I’m so sorry if I put you in a position…”

Turning my head so I’m nuzzled in his neck, I sigh. “You’re just fine Ben, I don’t really feel like I know what I’m doing, I’m sorry…”

“You mean…you’ve never…you haven’t ever…uhh….”

“Had sex? No, I’ve had sex before. But…I’ve only been in one physical relationship ever, so I’m not…experienced? I was merely a means to his end, he was manipulative. There’s a lot about that relationship I’m not really ready to discuss right now. I’m sorry… ”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to bring back stuff. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything. We’ll talk about the past when you’re good and ready, yeah?” He wraps his arms around me and holds me close to him, like he’s afraid I’ll jump up and run away.

“It’s all okay, Ben, I promise.” I kiss his neck behind his ear and I feel him sigh quietly. “I kind of liked it…it was different for me, teasing you, it was…very nice. But…I don’t really know what to do.”

“Well, I enjoyed it very much, and you’re welcome to continue what you were doing, if you like…I’ll tell you what to do, but you have to talk to me too, yeah? Would you be comfortable with me touching you?” I nod. “Is that going too fast?” I shake my head and squeezes me gently.

I smile against him and bring my hand back up to the nape of his neck and twist my fingers into his hair again. I nuzzle into his neck and place a few kisses behind his ear on his neck. He is practically purring under me and I can feel him getting hard again under the fabric of my pajama pants and his jeans. His hands go back down to my hips and his thumbs slide under my t-shirt and caress the flesh he finds there; my skin flushes at his touch.

“Let’s have you stay here for a bit. That spot you just kissed? You can do that all you want.” Ben hums deep in his chest and I start to place chaste little kisses up and down his neck behind his ear, twirling my fingers in his hair at the same time. His hum begins to turn into a moan that vibrates my chest and heat pulls deep in my belly. “God, the hair thing messes me up, Sophie. Fuck, it makes it hard to think.”

I can’t help but smile at myself. I’ve never really felt powerful while being physical; it seemed it was always me who was being the subordinate. _No, not seemed, WAS,_ I reminded myself. My pleasure was never really taken into consideration, sex happened, and I was the method of getting him off. No more, however. Not even thinking, I kiss down Ben’s neck to where his collar bone is, and I bite again and again.

“Oh, fuck! Shit, Sophie!”

His shout startles me and I sit straight up, terrified that I’ve done something wrong; I can’t even open my mouth to apologize. My face must be telling of my fear and he smiles at me.

“Jesus, fuck. I’ve never been bitten like that before.” He leans forward and crushes his mouth to mine, his tongue caressing my lower lip, then finally pushing inside my mouth to explore. The rest of his fingers slip under my t-shirt and he grips my hips tighter, rocking his hips into my pelvis. _Shit, he is so hard against me._ He pulls away from the frantic kiss and puts his mouth next to my ear, his breath warm and ragged, “Do it again, bite me right where my neck meets my shoulder.”

I shudder at his words; God his voice is like warm tea and honey down my throat and the heat is starting to consume me. I press a few open mouth kisses at his collarbone, then I bite and nibble. After each nip at his neck, I kiss the marks my teeth have left on his pale skin. With every bite, I elicit the most erotic noises out of the man underneath me.

As I’m nibbling at his neck and tasting his skin, his fingers have begun to creep up my ribcage, stopping just below my breasts and he is still rocking against me. He uses this leverage to push me off of his chest.

“You’re making me crazy, good lord.” His breathing is ragged and his chest is heaving, and I hadn’t noticed from the fevered biting, but I’m practically panting.

He comes up off the couch and presses his chest to mine again, and that honey voice is speaking to me at my ear, “I’m going to kiss you, and perhaps sink my teeth into you as well, but I’ll be gentle. Tell me if I need to stop or if I go too far, otherwise, I’m just going to keep on and on and on…”

As his voice trails off, I feel his fingers brush my hair over my shoulder, exposing my neck more. His lips are whisper soft as he kisses around the shell of my ear, down to the lobe. He pulls my earlobe into his mouth and sucks gently and his mouth is _ohh so warm._ My breath rushes from my lungs as he trails kisses down my neck, and he stops to nibble at my collarbone. _Good god._ I whimper and clench my jaw tight.

“Oh darling,” he talks in between kisses and nips at my throat, “don’t hold back. I need you to let me know if I’m doing okay. If you can’t speak, your vocalizations let me know that I’m doing what makes you feel best. I want you to sing for me.”

I let my head fall back into his hand that is tangled in my hair and I moan loudly for him. His voice, _dear fucking lord, his voice. Isn’t that what got us here in the first place?_

“There’s a good girl.”

I don’t know how it’s possible, but his voice has gotten unimaginably deep. There’s a rumble with every word he speaks and every nerve in my body is at attention. I can only whimper as he kisses my neck again, the fingers of his one hand still under my t-shirt. One finger lightly traces the line of the underside of my breast and my nipples can’t get any more pert.

“Darling, I want to touch you all over, kiss you everywhere you’ll let me put my mouth.” He purrs in my ear. “I want to so badly. Will you let me?”

“ _Ooh_ , god Benedict.” I manage to moan out to him.

“You have to tell me yes, or no. I don’t want to do anything without your permission. This is the two of us, together.”

I grind my hips against him. The concern in his voice palpable and it’s tearing me apart. I could just listen to him talk all night and I would be just fine on my own. But he wants me. _He wants us, not just a means to his end._

“Yes, Benedict. Touch me, kiss me. Everywhere. Keep talking.” I’m breathless but manage to put words together coherently; at least I hope they’re coherent. My head is positively swimming and I could be mumbling Latin for all I know.

Ben must have understood something of what I said because in the next moment, he scoops me up and I instinctively wrap my arms around his neck. He takes me the short distance across the small living room into my bedroom, lays me out on my bed, and sits beside me after turning on my small night stand light.

“You are _so_ beautiful, Sophia.” His hand gently cups my jaw, his thumb caresses my cheek, and his intense eyes seem to bore into my soul. “I absolutely cannot believe how lucky I am.” He slips his hands under my shirt and begins to push it up, exposing my belly.

My head is swimming and I don’t know what to do with myself. I feel drunk, but I didn’t even finish half of my wine; it can only be him. This impossibly handsome man is impossibly intoxicating; I need more of him. With his eyes locked onto mine, I break my gaze only to pull my nightshirt up and over my head, dropping it on the floor. Ben’s pupils have blown wide when I regain his sharp gaze, and his features are sharp, chiseled in the low light and all I want to do is touch him.

I sit up, goose bumps rising on my skin in the cool of my room; I tuck one hand under the hem of his shirt and the other I wrap into his dark curls before I pull his mouth to mine. Our tongues meet and swirl together as I try to taste every part of that impossible mouth. His fingers are smooth on my skin at my lower back. One hand walks a slow line up my spine and over my shoulder until he is caressing my neck. A shiver runs over me and my fingers and toes curl, eliciting another deep rumble from the man across from me. Ben breaks the kiss and quickly pulls his shirt over his head and off before trailing more kisses over my neck and shoulders.

As he makes his way back up my neck, after gently nibbling on my earlobe once more, he whispers to me, “I’m going to lay you back now, and I’m going to make you sing for me.”

_Good lord that voice. Ugh, should I tell him….? I don’t want to ruin this._

Before he can lay me down, I wrap my arms around him; I’m blushing furiously and don’t want him to see that I’m a little embarrassed by the confession I’m about to make. “I’ve got stage fright.”

_There, it’s out. That wasn’t too bad. But ugh, now what…._

“Stage fright?”

“Yeah, he…he never reciprocated. I always waited for him to leave then I would…take care of myself, if I felt like it.”

He hasn’t let go of me, I’m sure he can feel my burning cheek against his bare skin. There’s a hum from him; I can feel him thinking, I think.

“Hmmm, guess we’ll have to switch tactics then, yeah?” Still wrapped around him, he leans forward, and pulls the string on the lamp and the room goes dim. It’s dark enough that my eyes have to adjust, and there’s just a slash of light across the bed. I blink into the low light and wonder what he’s up to.

“Alright then, here’s what we’re going to do: I’m still going to lay you down, and I’ll still get to hear you sing for me, but I want you to make yourself climax. I want to see what you do to pleasure yourself so I’ll know what to do for you.”

He gets up off the bed, closing the door to the bedroom, leaving the slash of light from the living room splayed across my waist. I suddenly feel very exposed, even though I still have my night pants and panties on as he walks around the bed and to the other side. The bare skin of his chest is milky and smooth, and there’s barely any hair until the top hem of his pants that sit at his waist hinting at the trail there. Ben never takes his eyes off of me as he lies out beside me in the dim light of the room.

“But, wait, I don’t…I don’t know if I can with someone else here…” I start to tremble; I don’t know why I’m getting so anxious over this, though it has been a while since I’ve been with _him_. But I also never had him around when I took care of myself either, and he never took the time or effort to bother.

“Do you want me to help you a little bit then? I’ll be more than happy to.” His fingers start moving over my waist, up my belly, and to the underside of my breast. He cups it gently and takes my nipple between his finger and thumb and rolls it; I instantly stop trembling under his warm touch and moan a little under my breath.

“Mmmm, yes. We can try that...”

“Beautiful darling, just beautiful.” He whispers into my ear and traces the shell with his tongue. “Now I’m only going to concentrate on your lovely breasts. You’ll be doing everything below your waist.”

I nod in the dim light; his voice makes my head swim. He is still gently rolling and tugging at my nipple and kissing my neck. I slide my right hand down my body and begin to rub myself lightly through my thin night pants and panties; I can feel my own body heat. This man has set me on fire and I love it.

I’m not getting anywhere but more frustrated rubbing myself with my pants and panties still on, so I hook my thumb in the waistband and start to tug them off. Ben must be able to tell what I’m up to, because a moment later, I feel him pulling down the other side as I lift my rear off the bed. I get them past my ankles and toss them to the floor and I feel Benedict’s fingers trail up and over my knee, to my thigh, and he pauses to caress where my thigh meets my abdomen. He’s careful not to stray from his path, seems he was serious about not helping below my waist.

He moves his hand up over my belly and back to my breast, while my fingers trail back down over my lips. I spread my knees apart a little and let my fingers trace lazy lines up and over my lips and the warmth coming off of me is not like anything I’ve ever felt before, with _him_ or without.

Ben is looking at me so intently, like he’s studying every hill and valley on my body. His hands are gentle and warm as they caress and tease me. Every move of his fingers and the warmth of his hands shoots straight down my spine and blooms between my legs and it is glorious.

I let my middle finger dip in between my lips and into the moisture there, and I’m surprised by how wet I am. My finger slips in deeper easily, and my eyes close automatically. Ben continues to kiss my neck, and I can feel his lips moving down to my shoulder and a small moan escapes my throat. I slip a second finger in next to the first and curl them just slightly, and draw out and push back in, and just as I move to draw out once more, Benedict’s lips pass over the top of my breast and he takes my nipple into his mouth.

“Ooh god…” The sensation of fingering myself with someone’s mouth on me is making my brain fizzle in excitement.

“Mmmm are we doing well, love?” His breath is warm as he speaks and his voice is so low.

I draw out of myself and bring my two wet fingers to my clit and start tracing circles and figure eights and Ben’s mouth is back at my nipple sucking and every now and then he bites gently, eliciting more noise from my throat.

“Oh darling you sound lovely, keep going, sing for me Sophia.” He pulls himself closer to me and I can feel his hard cock pressed up against me; his body is radiating heat and his voice, _god his voice_.

My hips begin to rock as I move my fingers faster, and Benedict doesn’t take his mouth off of me. With every rock of my hips he places small, gentle nips over my breast and chest and the electricity in my body surges. I can feel the swell, the creeping up to the edge just before climax, but it seems to elude me; pleasing an audience is hard. I huff in frustration, and slow my hand.

Benedict looks up at me and smooths a hand over my belly.

“Darling, why did you stop? Seemed like we were doing so well.”

“I’m sorry, it’s like…I’m there at the edge, but then I just can’t step over…” I turn my face away from him, embarrassed.

He doesn’t say anything right away, but instead trails kisses back up my chest, over my bared neck, and I feel his fingers on my chin. Following a gentle tug, I turn back to him and he brings his lips to mine. His kisses are soft, gentle, full, and I want more of him. The fire hasn’t subsided, and his lips against mine makes my head swim in the most amazing way. Parting my lips, I nibble on his cupid’s bow, and his chest rumbles against mine. His fingers trail down my neck, over my collar bone, and down the right side of my body to my hip. He tucks his hand under me and gently pulls me closer to him, and then he trails over my belly and to my left knee, lifting it up and over his hip, spreading me open.

His fingers are whispers against my skin as he slowly walks his way down the inside of my knee and down to my thigh. Stopping, he massages my skin as he continues to tease my tongue with his. I can feel him moving lower and lower, stopping every so often to warm another patch of my flesh with his warm touch.

“Sophia, darling,” his voice is deep and velvety against my lips, and he trails kisses back to my ear, “I want to make you sing. I want to touch you, kiss you, and watch you as you climax. I need to know what those gorgeous blue eyes look like, blown wide with pleasure. Can I do that for you?”

Every word surges more and more heat in my blood and the embarrassment from before is lost in the fire of him touching me and whispering in my ear. I squirm under his touch, wanting more.

“Yes Benedict, please, please.” I beg and a whimper escapes me. I feel him smile against my neck and he moves to my heat at my begging. He caresses me and then I feel one long finger dip between my lips and the touch is bliss. It has been so long since someone touched me, and the world around me in narrowed into this room, on this bed.

“Oh, God, Sophia, you’re so wet.” He bites my neck and throat. “Fuck, you are positively dripping. Does my voice really do this to you? Do you love hearing me talk that much?”

“Mmmm you have no idea…”

He chuckles low. “I do now, my darling.” He presses another finger in beside the first, pushing into me deep, curling them, and then drawing out. My back arches off the bed at his delicate intrusion, and my head swims as he starts a rhythm.

“How long has it been since you’ve been like this darling? Since you’ve let anyone touch you? You’re so tight; you must not have any toys. Mmmm, I’d love to take you shopping for some, so when I’m not around, you can use the toys I’ve gifted to you to pleasure yourself.”

His voice drips over me, coats me with the amber honey of it and I can feel myself building. My body is reacting to his touch, his warmth, and that _god damned voice._ He is quickening his pace, intuitive to my body reacting to him. I can’t stop the moans and gasps that escape me, but Ben keeps steady and kisses my neck and throat and nips at my ear.

“Look at you, you beautiful girl. I wish you could see what I see. You are absolutely glowing, stunning.”

Kisses, a nibble at my earlobe, a shudder ripples from my toes up and I can feel the edge creeping closer.

“Oh god Ben, keep going, please, please…” I’m lightheaded and panting, hopefully I don’t hyperventilate. My back arches, Ben goes a little faster.

“You are amazing. The sounds coming out of you right now, the way you’re moving under my hand. Sophia, I could do this for you all night. I could just watch you writhe.”

Unable to stay still, I feel my toes curl and uncurl and my body starts to tremble uncontrollably. The heat and the pull of climax builds in my belly and I’m right at the edge. Without thinking, I join Ben as he thrusts his fingers into me; I push fast circles around my clit. Ben’s voice is deep and his body vibrates against mine as he talks to me.

“You’re close, aren’t you darling? I can feel you tightening around me. God you are perfect; so beautiful. Sing for me, love. Come darling, I know you can’t hold out much longer; I can feel you shuddering.”

There it is; the edge of that cliff. Ben’s pace quickens just a little more as the heat has built and suddenly I’m there. And I step over.

Everything is drowned out: The rumble of Ben’s voice, the warmth of his skin on mine, the light from the living room seeping through my eyelids.

“OH god, Benedict! Jesus fuck, ooh, fuck…”

He is still whispering to me; my brain registers the low baritone, but I don’t really know what he’s saying. As my climax washes over me, I can feel my back arch and I go completely still. Ben’s fingers have slowed and he kisses my neck and chest and my head is swimming and my eyes are screwed shut.

Little by little, I regain my senses as I come off the high.

“Sophia I wish you could see yourself, you are so beautiful, so amazing.”

I feel kisses on my forehead, and register that the weight and warmth that is beside me is shifting, moving away. Opening my eyes just enough to see movement, Ben is up off the bed and goes around and out of the bedroom. From the bathroom, I hear the sink run and the cabinets being opened then closed. A chill runs over me when he comes back and the cool air from the living room washes over my naked skin. He sits on the edge of the bed closest to the door instead of coming back to lay down.

“Here love, give me your hand.”

I’m still coming down from my high and barely manage to lift my hand from where it was stilled, but Ben takes it, and gently uses a warm cloth to wipe my arousal off my fingers. He uses long, slow strokes and kisses my palm before standing and returning the cloth to the bathroom. When he comes back, he grabs the quilt from the foot of the bed and pulls it up and over me before coming back around to lie down.

“Are you doing alright, Sophia? Do you need anything?”

“I am…more than alright.” I roll over to him and snuggle against his bare chest, breathing him in. “Come under the cover with me?”

He chuckles low, “I don’t think that’s too good of an idea, love. Not with you completely nude and after what I just got to witness…”

“Well that’s not any fun, nor is it any fair.”

“Oh believe me, it is plenty fair. You are the most amazing thing, and I’m not quite sure you’re completely aware of that.”

“Mmmm I don’t know about that, but I do know that _you_ are amazing. I’ve never come that like before. Ever.” My fingers start tracing lazy circles and swirls on his chest, the paths come dangerously close to his nipples, and they begin to look very enticing.

His eyes close and he lays all the way back on the bed; I snuggle close to his side and lay my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. Ben untucks his right arm from underneath me and drags lazy patterns across my back. My fingers brush one of nipples, and I can’t help but smile to myself as I feel him shudder and his heart rate jumps.

“Do you have anything important going on early tomorrow?”

“Not that I can think of. Linda’s got something set up for lunch though, why?”

“Stay with me tonight?”

“I would like that very much, my dear.”


End file.
